A sell-out crowd of more than 40,000 is expected at Eden Park for the fourth T20 International between India and New Zealand on Friday, with the match set to become the third-biggest attendance in the Auckland venue's history.
India have dominated the five-match series, winning the first three matches to take an unassailable lead. All three games have attracted sell-out crowds, underlining the strong interest in the series.
Abhishek Sharma and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi powered India to a crushing six-wicket victory in the third T20I in Wellington on Tuesday. The opening pair stitched together a 133-run stand to help India chase down a daunting target of 199 in just 13.2 overs.
Sharma led the assault with a blistering 38-ball 113, smashing nine boundaries and 11 sixes to shatter records and leave the Black Caps shell-shocked.
"Over 40,000 fans are set to descend on Eden Park this Friday night, with the sold-out sign officially up for the fourth T20I between the BLACKCAPS and India in Auckland," said a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) statement.
"The match marks the fourth sell-out of the highly-anticipated T20I Series, hot off the heels of back-to-back sell-outs in the opening two matches at Hagley Oval, and the fifth and final match of the series at Seddon Park on Sunday," it added.
The fourth T20I will break New Zealand Cricket's bilateral series attendance record of 36,523, set at the BLACKCAPS and White Ferns’ doubleheader against India at Eden Park in 2019.
Only two international cricket matches at Eden Park have drawn larger crowds. The first was the 2015 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup semifinal, when Grant Elliott’s famous six helped New Zealand secure a place in the final at South Africa’s expense in front of 41,000 fans.
The second came in 1982, when a reported 42,000 spectators packed into Eden Park to watch a New Zealand side featuring Richard Hadlee, John Wright and Martin Crowe defeat Australia by 46 runs in the opening ODI of Australia's tour.
"Over 126,000 tickets have now been snapped up for the mega India Tour of New Zealand, with 71,000 of those tickets sold across the T20I series alone," said the statement.
New Zealand Cricket Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Glenn Critchley said the response to the upcoming match had surpassed expectations.
"There really is nothing like a full house at Eden Park. Breaking a bilateral series attendance record shows just how much appetite there is for this series. We were hopeful of strong crowds, but this response has exceeded our expectations and selling out Eden Park really is the cherry on top," said Critchley.
"Friday night has all the ingredients for a memorable occasion, a bumper crowd, a host of superstars on show, and hopefully an evening to remember for fans of both sides.
"I'm sure many fans will remember the scenes of Grant Elliott's six in the World Cup semifinal back in 2015, and we hope fans are treated to similar entertainment at Eden Park on Friday night," he added.